HC Deb 01 November 1939 vol 352 cc1963-4W
Mr. Jagger

asked the Secretary of State for War how many applications for permission to send printed matter out of the country are still held up at Liverpool awaiting approval; to whom such permission is, on principle, refused; and for what reason London correspondents of the overseas Press are obliged to obtain such permits before they can send printed matter and publications to their newspapers, seeing that all matter published in this country is already subject to the Press censorship and that a special department of the latter censorship exists to deal with outgoing postal packets for overseas newspapers?

Sir V. Warrender

Some 2,000 applications for permits to send printed matter abroad are now being dealt with at Liverpool. In many cases, delay is caused because the application forms are wrongly completed. It would not be desirable to state the reasons for which permission is, in principle, refused.

Correspondents of the overseas Press are naturally subject to the same restrictions as other persons regarding the export of printed matter to countries subject to censorship. There is no compulsory censorship of matter published in this country.